Vol 12, Issue4

Vol.12 Issue 4 News Digest

Indian Institute of Journalism & New Media, Bangalore

18 September 2012

Country Club accused of Rs. 9 crore scam

by Nikita Malusare

Students at Kengeri Bus Station face trouble in getting bus passes.

Page 2

A national leisure chain has been accused of “organized cheating “by clients who claim they are owed almost Rupees nine crore.

had acquired lodging for him, the hotel insisted that he pay for his stay, and not use the offers which his club membership entailed.

Country Club has faced over a thousand claims from angry clients in the last three years.

Hasmukh was asked to pay booking deposit and transportation charges by the hotel management, saying that they did not trust the club as it had defaulted its payments many times in the past.

In Bangalore alone 12 cases are currently going through court. Clients claim they were misled by promotional advertisements and exaggerated promises.

He then filed a written complaint to the club, asking them to reimburse the expenses incurred by him. The club agreed for a part-settlement and promised to deposit the rest into his account, which remains pending.

The former members complained about the aggressive marketing strategies, such as the allotment of free land.

“This is organized cheating”, stated Advocate Pratap Kumar who has fought 25 cases against the club in the last five years.

Cauvery water supply a persistent issue with the residents of Ramamurthi Nagar.

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He added: “The club knows people will be interested in investing in plots and benefits, and many youngsters fall prey to such offers.

The government should blacklist such fraudulent enterprises and book them under the unfair trade practices act, so that people will stop investing in such schemes.”

1045 cases have been registered at Bangalore Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Urban.

Most of the cases revolve around free allotment of free land at Tumkur Road which is underdeveloped and is located far away from the city.

Exotic animals sold in cramped cages at Russell market.

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Based on a verdict passed by the Bangalore Consumer Forum, the country club was asked to refund Rs. 85,000 to its Hasmukh along with the interest, within four weeks from the date of the verdict.

Jagdish Poojari , one of the many complainants, was promised a plot of land and a holiday package along with free flight tickets on purchasing a “Mr. Cool” membership card .

The card, costing Rs. 85,000

Country Clubs network all over India promised the buyer a free plot of land at the Country Club Coconut Grove in Tumkur Road, as well as holiday packages to Goa. When the members were not allotted land for over a year, they grew suspicious and called the country club to enquire about the delay.

These enquiries were largely ignored by the club’s management and staff.

A new site was later allotted to the Mr. Cool card holders at Vedic Country Spa project 11. Complainants state that this site is over 40 kms away from

the Bangalore city and is underdeveloped. Hasmukh G Lodhia, 64, had received a congratulatory call form the club for being the winner of a raffle and was asked to collect his gift from their office.

At the office he was offered a membership for Rs. 1, 05,000 and an offer to travel free of cost anywhere in India, along with free accommodation in the ‘A’ grade hotels. Accepting the membership, Hasmukh and his family planned a trip to Mumbai, with the use of his club membership.

However, after reaching the hotel at Mumbai where the Country Club

However, even after the lapse of an entire year, the club has failed to abide by the directive. A lawyer for one of the complainants, Anees Ahmed, said, “The refund money takes over 6 to 7 months to process.

There is no strict action being taken in light of the delay. The club continues to fool other members and makes money out of memberships.”

The club maintains that it has no provision to cancel any of the memberships it has issued to its clients.

They also claim that members file cases in a bid to avoid annual maintenance payment. Hasmukh himself owes Rs. 7991 to the club.

The officials of the country club, when contacted by The Observer, refused to comment on the story.

Police silent on cases of missing children; NGOs forced to pick up slack

by Kriti Khandelwal Vital details of missing children are not being passed on by police.

As soon as a missing person’s report is filed, the officers in charge are required to circulate the missing person’s details and photographs to police stations across the city on the same day.

But when asked, D K Vardegowda, Assistant Sub-Inspector at Wilson Garden Police Station, said that it takes more than one day to inform other police stations about the FIR registered against a missing person. “Through the wireless device, we tell the police stations within three days.” he said.

As of the end of May this year only 61.6 percent of missing children have been traced so far. The whereabouts of the rest are still unknown, according to figures provided by the Missing Children Bureau (MCB) in Karnataka The MCB, which has an ambit across 20 districts of Karnataka, has begun using non-governmental or-

Statistics of the runaway children from KSRTC bus stand ganizations to help them track missing children.

When parents or police file an FIR or missing person’s report involving a child, the MCB provides them with information which can be easily accessed on their website. They then inform the parents that their child is in a specific NGO. The NGOs help the police track missing children by providing them with a human touch, as opposed to the police authorities.

Many NGOs also provide basic counseling to children as well as to their parents and try to sort out the differences.

Mrs. Pushpa Natta, the Assistant Coordinator of MCB District Bangalore Urban, said that it’s not only children from BPL families who go missing. “When you talk to children, you come to know that problems are faced by children from good families as well.” Children who are found also take time to open up and talk, she said.

BOSCO, an NGO, reveals increase in number of missing children.

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The Weekly Observer

Students forced to shell out more for bus passes

By Vintu

18 September 2012

Bangalore’s Invisible Sex Workers

form and the website of BMTC, students need to produce only their identity card and fee receipt of the college along with two passport size photos in order to attain pass.

By Amrita

But students say that they have been asked to produce a bona fide certificate without which the officials do not issue a pass.

“Most of the sex workers do not stay at a fixed location and neither do

Sex workers in Bangalore are struggling to get proper healthcare due to problems in obtaining identity cards.

Mr. Augustine added that many of these women have children and want to enroll them in schools, but admission is denied to them because they do not possess identity cards. He also said they were being discriminated as they were not able to mention the name of their fathers.

“I was asked to pay Rs. 200 extra under the claim that I had no bona fide certificate, which is not a requirement for issuing the pass,” said Mohini, a student of Mechanical Engineering.

Paying extra bucks for the bus passes Students have to pay extra cash to get bus passes issued from Kengeri Bus station. .

-Vintu

needed the pass,” said Sumit, a student

Officials at the Kengeri Satellite bus station demand extra money alongwith documents and identity proof for easy issuance of bus passes.

The easy prey of BMTC personnel’s target are students from outside the state. As they do not know the local language and lack proper knowledge of the system, they can be deceived easily.

This incident is common with college students especially when the queue at the counter is not very long. in the absence of general public, officials freeel free to demand money.

“We have no other way but pay whatever they demand as we are in dire need of acquiring the pass,” said another student, who had to pay 100 rupees more than the required fees.

“They made me pay additional money by notifying no-mistakes as wrongs with the submission. They demanded 200 rupees extra from me if I

The amount fixed by BMTC for students of professional and technical courses is 1750 rupees for 12 months.

As per the instructions given on the

Nayar: “Fundamentalism and Communalism are a threat to democracy in India.”

By Sumit Veteran journalist Kuldip Nayar addressed a seminar on the ailing Indian democracy in Bangalore on Friday.

In the seminar conducted at the Bangalore International Centre, Mr. Nayar said that fundamentalism and communalism are a threat to democracy in India. He also held poverty, religious fundamentalism and casteism as hurdles which can derail democratic form of government.

included in the democratic system was answered by Mr. Nayar in the form of an Urdu couplet. He meant to say that “in a democratic system, people are counted, not weighed”.

He stressed that in a democratic form of government success can only be guaranteed when the educated masses play their role effectively.

Mr Nayar asked the media to play a more augmented role in its duties towards the public and the nation. He also showcased the positive side of

Referring to Anna Hazarey’s anticorruption movement Mr. Nayar became nostalgic remembering the Jaypraksh movement of the 1980s.

“However,eventually, the government got the better of him. If Anna’s movement begins again under his leadership, it will aid in rejuvenating the democratic setup” said Mr. Nayar.

Discussing about the freedom of expression and Fundamental Rights for Indian citizens Mr. Nayar cited the example of emergency during the 1970s when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister. He said that all the basic rights were suspended during that period including the right to freedom of speech..

Mr. Nayar also spoke about ‘talibanisation of cities in India’.Talking about the religious fundamentalism making its roots in India, he said that in the current scenario there is a prevalent mistrust between Hindus and Muslims. He insisted that this feeling of hatred towards each other should be contained.

A question on whether the illiterate strata of the society should be

A BMTC officer, contacted for clarification with regard to the issue, said, “An identity card, two passport size photos and fee receipt from the college along with 1750 rupees are the only requirement for engineering and other professional students to procure a pass.”

But the personnel at the counter demand some other documents which the students may not be possessing so as to extract some extra money.

“Having all the requirements at hand, I requested them a lot to have the pass issued yesterday. But they denied me the pass saying that I have to produce a bona fide certificate,” said a student in the queue.

As BMTC try to ease the lives of several students by subsidizing fees and increasing the distance that they can travel with their passes in the bus.

democracy by telling that only in a democratic nation can people gather together and discuss about the failure of democracy. “The faith of people in the electoral reforms of India is very strong. Democracy is going to stay” said MrNayar.

An Urdu couplet asking the politicians not to play with the emotions of citizens was recited by Mr Nayar towards the end of the seminar.

He concluded the seminar by extending an invitation for his book launch on Saturday evening at the Taj West End in Bangalore.

they have families. They are either trafficked or flee from their homes due to gender inequity or violence and are reluctant to revealtheir identities, “says Mr. Augustine C Kaunds, the coordinator of SPAD (Society for People’s Action for Development)

The Karnataka sex workers union had recommended health cards for free medical treatment of sex workers with STD’s in all districts and taluks. Pensions, treatment for sex-workers’ partners -Amrita and supply of condoms in rural and urban areas were the other additional demands by the union, which they believe, should be part of the 12th five year plan of the government of India.

Though, the plan states that attention will be given to more vulnerable groups like female sex workers.

Water a scarce commodity for people living in Rammurthi Nagar

By Deepu Aby Residents of Rammurthi Nagar still not getting water although BWSSB promised to supply Cauvery water in 2006.

Despite complaining for over eight years, urging the authorities to take the initiative in supplying water to their households, the BWSSB has failed to listen to the residents’ grievances.

The Cauvery water supply scheme was commissioned by the state government in 2004. The BWSSB (Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board) completed the installation processes for most residents who demanded new water connections, by 2006.

The deadline set by the BWSSB for receiving applications was September 2005. Those who applied for connections after the deadline were asked to pay a penalty of Rs. 3000.

-Deepu

No ID card, No health care

The Lack of identity cards as well

The new connections were secured by the residents after paying the beneficiary contribution of Rs. 2500 to the authorities.

Kuldip Nayar

as ration cards restricts them from accessing many facilities. They do not have access to basic facilities, health being important. Most of the HIV positive workers have to struggle even to get free treatment in government hospitals.

“I really don’t know why I should pay a fine of Rs. 3000 extra for a new water connection when we are not even given water for drinking,” said Mr. John, a resident.

There are four bore wells for over two thousand households in the locality, of which the water from only two bore wells is accessible.

The working bore wells are submerged in drainage and waste dumps.

Currently these two water sources have almost dried up due to drought and residents hardly access water from them.

Residents claim that the pump operator appointed by BWSSB to help residents access water from the bore wells, shows up once every two days.

A water meter which was installed in 2006 is still not working “It will take two weeks to repair have almost completely given up all the pump if it is damaged and we are hope that our voics will be heard,” forced to buy tanker water from pri- said Mr. Karthik, a resident and shopvate suppliers that will cost Rs. 1000 keeper of Rammurthi Nagar. per tanker,” said Mr. N S Ajanappa, The problem of falling aquifer levSecretary of Ramaurthi Nagar Welfare els was also one of the problems disAssociation. He further added, “the cussed by the residents. Aravind, a cost sometimes goes beyond resident, said, “We used to strike Rs.1500.” aquifers at around 100-200 feet below When asked about the water short- the ground, but nowadays, we don’t age at Ramamurthi Nagar, the get water even if we bore down 500 or BWSSB refused to issue any comment even 600 feet.” but said that connections to the various The residents say that the governhouseholds will be completed shortly. ment is apathetic to their plight and Residents believe that the water show no signs of addressing their conconnections issued under the Cauvery cerns.

Water Supply Scheme will be polluted “Water is an essential commodity. by water from the drainage canals, as It is part of the right to lead a life of the sunk bore wells come in close dignity, ” says Bettenekera Gowda, proximity to the sewer lines. another local who has lived in the area In spite of filing complaints to the for the last 7 years. “The government ward councillor and the local MLA for has been indifferent to the complaints the past six years, there has been no lodged by us” said he. progress in the construction of the supThe issue has not been addressed ply lines. for a long time although residents have “The Councillor and MLA are been registering their protests in the nowhere to be seen in the locality. We form of written complaints.

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The Weekly Observer

18 September 2012

Endangered animals held in cramped cages; sold as pets lessly from one end of the cage to the other. “The birds are subject to tremendous psychological stress. They are sometimes adopted alone and are not fed properly,” says Sumanth Madhav, a wildlife activist.

by Rohan Various species of endangered wildlife are being sold at Russell Market and at other pet shops in the city.

More than 50 species of animals and birds, like the Golden Conure, which is on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list of endangered species are sold in the market and also at Pet shops around the city.

Sumanth added that the marmosets and the turtles, such as the redeared slider become increasingly aggressive once they reach sexual maturity. “There are instances where people’s fingers have been bitten off,” he said.

Dogs, cats and hamsters are also sold at these places, where they are kept in cramped, dirty cages, lacking space to move around, and even to breathe freely.

The aggressive species of animals, like the red-eared slider, are then abandoned by their owners, often at lakes and rivers. This leads to the animals decimating local bird populations by preying on them. The non-native species of birds also spread diseases to the local wildlife.

Beside pet animals like dogs and cats, exotic wildlife like the Conure, Pygmy marmosets, Green-winged Macaws, Pheasants, Lorikeets, Redeared sliders, Cockatoos and various other bird species are chained to cramped cages, and sold as pets.

The Golden Conure, or the Golden Parakeet as it is otherwise known, is listed as an endangered species in the IUCN list of threatened animal species. Abdul Wahab, the owner of a

A caged Palm Cockatoo pet shop, said that exotic birds like the Golden Conure cost around Rs. 2 lakh.

“Sometimes, it takes up to a year or two to sell each animal. Especially the expensive ones,” he added

animals, as only native Indian species are protected by the government, the animals being sold at these shops face increasing amounts of mental and physical trauma.

Though the shopkeepers are not in breach of Indian law in selling these

“These animals may be protected species in their own countries, but in

Students risking lives to dodge fares

by Urmi

The whole event was moderated

by Vincent Subramaniam, the cofounder and editor of ‘India Together’ and ‘Citizen Matters’ in St. JosephCollege. The audience actively participated in the talk show helping it turn into a success.

The show consisted of some eminent panelists like — Subir Ghosh, a specialist in media matters, Dinesh Kumar, a senior journalist andLawrence Lian, a lawyer. Three North- Eastern students represented

-Sumit

by Sumit Students prefer clinging to the footrest to buying tickets while travelling in BMTC buses plying Kanakpura road.

There are three engineering colleges on the Kanakpura road, whose students use the BMTC bus services on a daily basis. There are many who avail the college bus facility or use motorcycles as means of transportation.

Those who don’t have either of the two options have to depend on the BMTC services.

The conductors of the BMTC buses plying this road take advantage of this situation. Young students hanging from the footrest of the bus with minimal support is a common sight on this route. The entire stretch of the Kanakpura road has no traffic cop to monitor the various traffic violations.

There are no designated bus stops on this entire stretch. Drivers stop the buses wherever they find a good number of passengers waiting for the bus.

This aggravates the already persistent traffic problem on the road.

Metro construction work going on the Kanakpura road has left the road

in a dilapidated condition and traffic jams add to the woes of people.

Some of the birds, after years of confinement to small cages, have started losing their minds, and flit aim-

Sumanth said that though there are no laws for dealing with the trade in non-native species of wildlife, the confinement of these animals is “ethically wrong”, and the rising demand from people who wish to own them as exotic pets is the most important factor contributing to this burgeoning industry.

Social media seminar held in the city The role of the media and social networking sites in the exodus of the north-eastern people during the month of August was scrutinized in a seminar conducted in Bangalore.

Money over safety

-Rohan India, they do not come under the purview of the wildlife authorities,” said S. Pallavi, a project officer of the World Wildlife Fund.

their community. They also shared their real-life experiences at the time of their exodus.

Kim, a post graduate student of political science said she received a message on her phone. It read, “Four north easterners have died, be cautious.” She also said “after receiving the message I was really scared, and my parents were worried about me, so I didn’t had any option other than leaving the city” P.D. Joseph, a student who was in charge of the those who stayed in the college during the exodus period said “there were 45 students, who took shelter in our college during the time of exodus, out of which one student was from another college. We spent

our days in fear.”He also added that the college did their best in providing security.The police were also lauded for their efforts in protecting the students and helping restore calm in the city.

Mr. Subir Ghosh, speaking on the topic of communalism said, “This whole matter of communalism is very complex.” He also asked journalists to be more people centric. According to Mr. Lawrence said: “Most of the news related to the exodus was completely based on some perception. They were not sure about the news.”

There were many questions raised during the entire show, but audience left the event with better information about the power of social media.

The “Superhero” Ganesha

Another important concern is the issuance of tickets. Bus conductors prefer taking less than the fixed ticket rate, without issuing the tickets.

This is beneficial for the conductors as well as the students. “Why should I pay the full charges when I have to keep hanging on the footrest”, says Mansoor, an engineering student.

The bus conductors have a different say on this whole issue. They find it difficult to drive the bus on the narrow road with waiting passengers coming in their way. “We have to stop as there is no other choice. People keep coming in front of the bus”, said the driver of a BMTC bus.

The students, who hang from the footboard of the bus, pose a threat not only to their own lives, but also to the lives of the other motorists using the roads.

“The Police are also partly responsible for this problem as they don’t take proper measures to prevent these incidents from occuring,” said the local residents.

-Pyusha

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The Weekly Observer

18 September 2012

Bangalore reels under water crisis mers as the bore wells go dry. Then, we are left with no other option except to pay for private water supply. We pay up to Rs. 500 pertank. Our problems don’t end here; we also have to pay for the drinking water which is supplied in cans.”

by Shreya & Siddharth

Bangaloreans are forced to depend entirely on private water supplieExploiting the situation, these suppliers are laughing all the way to the bank, with their charges per load of a 7,000litre tanker ranging from anywhere between Rs. 500 to Rs. 750, depending on the area and customers' pockets. It is the water mafia which is exploiting the situation by squeezing the residents to pay through their nose; that too without guarantee on the quality and quantity of water.

Waiting for water Hundreds of families have been without water for the past three weeks in the city.

The residents of Murgeshpallya get water supplied only once every week through water tankers. Also the water supply from these tankers is limted. People pay Rs.400 every month as water bill yet they have no water supply. BWSSB has not taken any action till date for this problem.

A resident of Omega housing complex, Mrs. Soma Paul said: “We never get water supply on a regular

-Shreya basis, we have to buy our drinking water everyday. There is no tap or bore well in our area.”

When asked about the ongoing water crisis in that area, a BWSSB official said, “We are trying to solve the problem but we cannot promise anything right now.”

The case of Ganganagar is more serious where the people residing in 10th cross are not getting water supply for the past six months in spite of paying their water bills.

K Lakshmana Rao, a resident said, “We face this issue especially in sum-

Ganesha’s Arrival

by Pyusha Chatterjee

BWSSB officials said that they are helpless as they are not empowered to monitor private suppliers.

When contacted, the BWSSB officials were not available for comment, neither were they present in their office.

Years of exploitation of natural resources around the city has caused the lakes and water bodies to dry up and the water table to recede.

With the festive season just around the corner, residents are going to pay the price at the cost of shelling out extra money for purchasing potable water.

Protests sweep Bangalore city for seventh day

by Nikita Malusare Protests against the diesel hike continued for the seventh day at K.G.Road,Bangalore The Social Democratic Party of India called a state level protest against the hike in diesel prices. Thegovernment cancelled subsidies on diesel and ordered a hike of Rs. 5 per litre on diesel.

Waseem Ahmed , District General Secretary of SDPI said, “The hikewill affect the man on the street. Already prices of basic commodities are not affordable. If diesel price is hiked it will eventually affect all other commodities. ”

The painters give the idols a beautiful finishing touch. The artists work tire elessly to produce these idols. They are worshipped by people everywhere.

Red and green flags were held aloft demanding a rollback in prices.

They said that this hike was a way to loot the common man.An angry protestor said “They looted us through 2G and Coalgate scams and now they are looting us by removing the fuel subsidy.”

The protestors also held aloft banners criticizing the government for failed fiscal policies which led to the common man being targetted, in the way of cuts to fuel and food subsidies.

Najeem, a protestor, said that the price of vegetables and essential commodities are bound to increase as a result of the fuel price hike.

Lord Ganesha statuettes being readied for the festivities

Residents across Bangalore also expressed their displeasure at the fuel price hike. Many of them said that they might have to switch to public transport, as commuting to work on motorcycles or cars will become unviable because of the skyrocketing petrol prices.

Rhetoric

-Sumit & Romana

Villagers demand the return of their land from the BDA

by Priyanka Roy Kengeri farmers demanding the return of their land staged a protest at BDA head office.

People rallied in front of the BDA premises on Tuesday and their protest lasted for more than two hours.

After a delay of many years, the BDA finally agreed to pay the compensation to the farmers who were affected by the acquisition of their land.

But, the grieved farmers have now demanded that they get their land back, stating that the compensation was inadequate.

When the BDA officials of the land acquisition department were contacted, an official, Mr. Pandu, said, “The land is usually acquired through a particular procedure, which follows the the tender notification, to advertise to people who are interested in selling their land.”

When asked about the farmer’s agitation, he said: “Often farmers dissatisfied with the deal of BDA, protest by moving petitions at the high court.”

But he refused to comment about the Kengeri people’s agitation.

BDA has long been dogged by controversy for delaying the compensation to the farmers whose lands have been acquired many years back. But, after numerous protests and complaints, the BDA finally declared that it was releasing compensation to the protesting farmers.

Mr. Pandu added that the compensation is given to the farmers in such a way that they get the majority of it by monetary payment and the rest as land.

There have been agitations piling up against BDA, pertaining to land acquisition. Land owners from various villages are not happy with the compensation that has been offered. Thus, they have decided to get their land back, instead of the proposed amount of money.

An RTI activist, Shivkumar, criticized the BDA for its role in usurping land from the farmers. According to him, the BDA cheated farmers for several years without giving them adequate compensation, which has now induced the farmers to turn against the government.

The Observer Team

Publisher : Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media Address : Opp. BGS International Residential School, Kumbalgudu, Kengeri, Bangalore, Karnataka News Editor: Sumit Chief Sub Editor : Vintu Augustine Photo Editor: Pyusha Chaerjee and Kriti Khandelwal Layout Editor: Deepu Aby Varghese Sub Editors: Shreya Mukherjee, Priyanka Roy, Urmi Sengupta Proof Readers: Rohan D. Premkumar, Nikita Malusare, Sidharth Shekhar.

Printer: Lotus Printers, 32/25, 2nd Main Road, Sir M. V. Industrial Town, West of Chord Road, Bangalore Mail us at: mail@iijnm.org